"I didn't expect Uchiha Itachi to have such a strong ally with him."
"This complicates things..."
The masked man in black narrowed his eyes as he watched Kosuke Maruhoshi charge at him. His thoughts raced, but he had no time to dwell on them. In the next instant, Kosuke's blade was already slicing toward his neck.
Effortlessly, the masked man dodged by tilting his head back. With fluid precision, he bent his waist, planted a hand on the ground, and lashed out with a sweeping kick at Kosuke's calf. The sudden impact threw Kosuke off balance, causing him to stumble. Taking advantage of the moment, the masked man lunged forward, driving his blade straight toward Kosuke's chest.
"Not good!"
Kosuke, still regaining his footing, had no time to block or counterattack. He could only watch as the tip of the blade closed in—
But just before impact, the masked man suddenly leaped away.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Three soft sounds echoed around Kosuke as shurikens embedded themselves in the ground beside him, arranged in a perfect triangular formation. Had the masked man not retreated, those shurikens would have lodged into his body instead.
"Nice job, Itachi!"
Kosuke exhaled sharply, realizing why his opponent had abandoned such a perfect strike. Itachi's intervention had been timed flawlessly.
The masked man glanced toward the boy, his interest piqued.
At first, he had dismissed Uchiha Itachi as nothing more than a child. No matter how much of a genius the boy was, he was only nine years old—what could he possibly do?
But now, Itachi had proven himself as more than just a child. He had successfully provided precise support in a high-level battle.
Clash of Ninjutsu
"He's not just talented—he's already skilled enough to influence a fight like this."
The masked man didn't have much time to analyze further. A sudden surge of chakra caught his attention.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Kosuke Maruhoshi's chakra flared as a massive water dragon, more than ten meters long, formed out of thin air. Despite the absence of a natural water source, Kosuke had managed to conjure a powerful Water Release technique.
Reacting instantly, the masked man formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet Jutsu!"
Large fireballs erupted from his mouth, colliding with the water dragon midair. The sheer force of the impact sent a thick mist rolling across the battlefield, enveloping everyone in a dense fog.
"Agh!"
"Gaaah!"
Two sharp screams pierced through the mist.
Kosuke Maruhoshi immediately grabbed Itachi and leaped out of the fog's edge, his eyes narrowing as he peered into the thick white haze.
"Itachi, those screams... they were Tenma and Xinzi!"
"Uncle Kosuke! We have to help them!"
Itachi's voice was urgent, but Kosuke held him back.
"Stay calm!" Kosuke said sternly. "They're ninjas too. You need to stay vigilant!"
Only when he saw Itachi's expression steady slightly did he set him down.
A cold wind blew past, gradually thinning the mist.
As the visibility returned, a horrifying sight came into view.
Standing atop the transport cart, the masked man loomed over a lifeless girl's body. In his hand, he held a severed head.
Behind him, another corpse lay still on the ground.
It was Tenma.
Itachi's Rage
"No..."
Itachi's breath caught in his throat as he processed the scene. His chest tightened, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. It felt as if something was crushing his very soul.
A surge of white-hot rage flared within him, overwhelming every ounce of reason.
"You... BASTARD!!"
Without thinking, Itachi charged.
Kosuke was caught off guard. He hadn't expected the masked man to take down both children so easily, nor had he expected Itachi—who had remained composed until now—to lose control.
"Damn it!" Kosuke cursed inwardly, trying to stop him, but it was too late.
The masked man sneered, raising his blade in anticipation.
"Come, Uchiha Itachi!"
At first, he had underestimated the boy. But as Itachi closed in, something changed.
A deep, vivid red glowed in the boy's eyes—
Itachi's Sharingan had fully awakened, complete with three tomoe!
"What?!"
For the first time, the masked man was genuinely caught off guard.
Itachi's speed was blistering. In an instant, he was upon him.
The boy's dagger flashed, crackling with Lightning Release chakra.
The masked man barely had time to block—
But the moment their blades met, a powerful current of electricity surged through his body.
"Aaaagh!!"
The masked man cried out in pain as his limbs convulsed under the electrical shock.
The Blade of the Second Hokage
From the distance, Kosuke Maruhoshi's eyes widened as he recognized the weapon in Itachi's hand.
"That's..."
"The Sword of the Thunder God?!"
A weapon once wielded by Second Hokage Tobirama Senju—a blade infused with high-intensity Lightning Release. It was powerful enough to disrupt enemy chakra flow and cause intense paralysis upon contact.
Kosuke snapped out of his daze and was about to rush to Itachi's aid when—
"Don't go! It's dangerous!"
A familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
Kosuke turned sharply—
Behind him stood... another Itachi.
"What?!"
"When did you—?"
"It's a shadow clone," Itachi said through gritted teeth, his red eyes burning with both fury and restraint. "Move back. We need to create distance."
Kosuke hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The masked man was too focused on the Itachi in front of him to notice their retreat.
The True Target
The masked man clenched his teeth, fighting through the paralysis.
"Uchiha Itachi... you're exactly what I've been searching for!"
"Only you can fulfill my master's great vision!"
He looked at Itachi's fully matured Sharingan, his heart pounding with excitement.
But then—
He noticed something.
In Itachi's hand were three explosive tags.
"Hah. Is that your next move?" The masked man scoffed.
But something was off.
Itachi wasn't throwing them.
Instead, he pressed them directly against the masked man's chest.
The Lightning Release chakra still coursing through the masked man's body prevented him from moving away.
Only then did he realize—
Itachi wasn't trying to hit him with an explosion.
Itachi was making sure he couldn't escape it.
"Go to hell, bastard!"
Itachi released his hold on the Sword of the Thunder God and embraced the masked man head-on.
The explosive tags ignited.
"BOOM!!"
A series of deafening explosions tore through the forest, the force of the blast sending Kosuke Maruhoshi sprawling to the ground.
Dazed, he turned to look at the inferno behind him, swallowing hard.
"If I hadn't stepped back... I'd be dead too..."
He turned to Itachi.
The boy stood still, his expression void of satisfaction.
Instead, his face was marked by deep sadness.
"...Itachi..."
Kosuke wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
All he could do was let out a heavy sigh.
(End of chapter)